
Penrose (Espresso Blend)
Blueprint Coffee • St. Louis, MO
$23.25 · $2.33/oz
chocolate • graham • dried fruit • toffee • berry
Penrose, named after the illusory triangle, represents Blueprint Coffee's ever-evolving pursuit of the perfect espresso. While achieving the perfect espresso may be an impossible goal, this seasonal blend continuously strives toward that ideal. The components change throughout the year to maintain optimal freshness and flavor, but the blend's core characteristics remain consistent. Penrose is designed with several key goals in mind: reliability and consistency, delicious performance both with and without milk, maintaining seasonal quality and farm-to-cup traceability, and price stability to serve as the anchor espresso at Blueprint's cafés and many of their wholesale partners. The blend is also formulated to be easy to dial in on espresso grinders, making it accessible for baristas and home enthusiasts alike. While primarily developed for espresso, Penrose also performs beautifully in drip brewing methods, where it displays lasting sweetness and heavy body with subdued acidity. The current iteration offers rich notes of chocolate and graham cracker, complemented by hints of dried fruit, toffee, and berry. For optimal espresso extraction, Blueprint typically pulls Penrose at a 1:2 ratio, with shots taking 30-35 seconds including approximately 6 seconds of pre-infusion. They calibrate their machines to dispense water at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.